6th May 2026 - 3 min read
The government has announced a new set of measures to ease cost pressures on households and small businesses, as global supply disruptions continue to push up domestic prices. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced the measures on 5 May 2026.
The Jualan Rahmah Madani programme, which offers essential goods at below-market prices, will be expanded to 30,000 events in 2026, up from more than 25,000 held last year. Events will now be held weekly across all state constituencies on a fixed schedule, and the programme will be extended to selected rural areas in addition to urban locations.
Anwar said the initiative aims to reduce the cost of essential goods by as much as 30%, with a focus on enabling small traders rather than large corporations to participate as sellers. For households that rely on subsidised sales for daily essentials, the fixed weekly schedule and broader geographic coverage should make the programme easier to access than before.
The government will provide a one-off upfront payment of RM200 to registered paddy farmers to support planting activities, at a total fiscal cost of RM48 million. Around 240,000 farmers are expected to benefit, at a time when many face rising costs for machinery and agricultural inputs following prolonged dry spells in main farming regions.
The payment is intended for farmers registered under the government’s agricultural databases.
Anwar has directed government-linked agencies, including Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) and UDA Holdings, to reduce rental rates at their properties. These agencies manage a range of commercial and retail premises, making the directive relevant to a broad segment of small traders operating in government-linked spaces. State governments and local authorities have also been called on to implement similar reductions starting this month.
The rental reductions have been announced as a direction rather than a confirmed policy, so traders in affected premises should expect further communication from their respective landlord agencies on specific rates and timelines.
The announcements come as ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, now entering their third month with no clear resolution, continue to disrupt global supply chains and push up the prices of commodities including oil and fertilisers. Even with fuel subsidies in place, costing an estimated additional RM5 billion per month, broader structural pressures on household costs remain.
These latest measures follow a series of cost-of-living interventions the government has introduced over the past year, including expanded Jualan Rahmah allocations and direct cash assistance under programmes such as Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) and Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA). Anwar acknowledged the limits of the current measures, noting they are intended to reduce immediate burden rather than fully resolve the underlying challenges, with further reviews planned through regular policy discussions.
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Iman writes about personal finance with curiosity. She is interested in the stories behind money, the hesitation around big decisions, and the small habits that shape financial futures. Off the clock, she is either dissecting a film or climbing her way up the leaderboard in her favourite games.
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